Rossi makes Italy's preliminary roster; Toni off

ROME (AP) — New Jersey's Giuseppe Rossi was selected Tuesday for defending champion Italy's 30-man preliminary World Cup roster, while Francesco Totti and Luca Toni have been left off.

Rossi, a 23-year forward for Villarreal in Spain, was born in Teaneck and went to Clifton High School. He was eligible to play for both Italy and the United States and opted to play for the Azzurri instead of the Americans. He was the only played selected based outside of Italy.

Totti retired from Italy's national team after helping win the 2006 World Cup. He was the Azzurri's primary forward in 2006 and at the 2008 European Championship, but lost his place when he ran into problems at Bayern Munich to start this season.

Toni transferred to Roma in January and has helped the club keep pressure on leader Inter Milan heading into the final weekend of the Serie A season.